>> don't do it, guys. >> it's more complicated than you think. thanks for watching out 6:00. the news continues streaming on cbs news bay area you ♪ ♪ ♪ captioning sponsored by cbs >> o'donnell: tonight, we are following a number of major headlines as we come on the air. president biden's high-strikes summit as he arrives in brussels tonight, after a month of brutal war in ukraine. also, tornadoes touch down in the south. and, the sad news tonight about madeleine albright, dying at the age of 84. tonight, the u.s. declares russia is committing war crimes, as we get a new look at the devastation in mariupol. our interview with an american fighting in ukraine. plus, president biden arriving in brussels just hours ahead of an emergency meeting. the doubling of nato troops, and the concern tonight about putin using chemical weapons. >> i think it's a real threat. >> o'donnell: state of emergency. the 11-mile path of destruction after an ef-3 tornado knocks out

power to thousands, killing least one. tonight, the search-and-rescue operation. republicans turn up the heat. the tense exchanges today at judge ketanji brown jackson's confirmation hearing. remembering a trailblazer. madeleine albright, the nation's first female secretary of state, dies after a battle with cancer. her legacy, and what she said about finding her voice. kids and the covid vaccine. the news tonight for parents with children under age six. plus, our "eye on america." how one school district is solving the teacher shortage. ♪ ♪ ♪ and, the cellist hoping to rebuild his ukrainian city. this is the "cbs evening news" with norah o'donnell, reporting from the nation's capital. >> o'donnell: good evening to our viewers in the west and thank you for joining us on this busy wednesday night. in just a few hours, president biden will meet with nato and european leaders for an historic

summit. he just arrived in brussels for the emergency meeting, as the west aims to show vladimir putin it is united against his invasion of ukraine, through more military aid and more sanctions on russia. this comes as the war in ukraine reaches the one-month mark, and the ukrainian resistance has surprised many, with the pentagon saying 10% of russia's forces have been taken out. and, in another blow to putin, a government insider reportedly quit and left russia. that's the highest-profile defection so far. well today, the u.s. took a significant step, formally accusing russian troops of committing war crimes-- bombing schools and hospitals, and killing civilians. the secretary of state said america will work with others to prosecute the offenders. we have a lot of news to get to tonight, and we'll start with cbs' debora patta in kyiv. good evening, debora. >> reporter: good evening, norah. well, cbs has learned from a senior defense official that russians have fired more than 1,200 missiles since the war

began 28 days ago, with devastating effect. and we should warn you, that what you're about to see may be disturbing. from the sky, mariupol looks like a ghost town, but trapped inside, at least 100,000 civilians without food or water, as russia intensifies its efforts to pound the city into submission. in chernihiv, russian bombs obliterated this bridge, cutting off the main escape route for civilians fleeing the horror. and in the country's second- largest city of kharkiv, the historical center came under attack. and yet, in the face of what the u.s. government now formally called russian war crimes, ukrainians remain defiant. the biggest prize, kyiv, is under daily attack. today, another residential area was hit. >> it was many, many bombs. >> reporter: but russia has suffered heavy losses.

( explosion ) nato estimates 7,000 to 15,000 of their men have been killed in action, and now they've been pushed back from irpin, just outside the capital... ( yelling ) ...which has been the scene of some of the fiercest battles, forcing thousands to run for their lives. in an underground bar-turned- bunker, we met some of the men fighting there. among them, a 26-year-old american from cincinnati who goes by the name farva. >> this is something that's going to be in the history books. i kind of feel like i need to be part of it. >> reporter: and "part of it" he is, serving in a special forces unit where they see regular combat. so you're willing to give up your life for another country far away from home? >> yeah. >> reporter: why? >> i was kind of born to fight, so might as well fight for something worth fighting for. >> reporter: he's not alone.

there are reportedly at least 3,000 americans who have signed up to fight here, and they're among the 20,000 foreigners from around the world, despite the u.s. warning americans to stay away. norah. >> o'donnell: debora patta in kyiv tonight. thank you. let's turn now to that emergency nato summit. cbs news has learned that some of the first weapons from that $800 million aid package have arrived. and, despite putin's threats to supply routes, the defense department says it's not having trouble getting u.s. equipment into ukraine. cbs' ed o'keefe reports from brussels. >> reporter: president biden arrived in brussels this evening for the emergency nato summit. its mission: ramping up pressure on vladimir putin to stop the brutal siege of ukraine. there are growing concerns that conflict could get worse. the head of the nato alliance today discussing fears of a chemical or biological attack. >> and the use of chemical weapons with-- would totally change the nature of the

conflict. >> reporter: president biden also acknowledged that possibility. >> i think it's a real threat. >> reporter: nato announced it's doubling troop deployments on its eastern flank, sending four new battle groups to bulgaria, hungary, romania, and slovakia. ukrainian leader volodymyr zelenskyy is scheduled to address the summit tomorrow, his latest plea for help on the global stage. the country's nato ambassador told us today they expect more military support to be announced. >> we are not naive. we know that there will be no nato troops on our land. but military support, practical support, i mean, financial, humanitarian, can come also from nato member states. and if this is the result of tomorrow's summit, we will be absolutely satisfied. >> reporter: so in essence, the message to nato is "do more and do it faster." >> absolutely. >> reporter: another key item on the agenda: additional economic penalties on russia. the president and other leaders expected to announce new sanctions against hundreds of

members of russia's parliament. and there's news tonight on brittney griner, the w.n.b.a. player detained in russia on drug possession charges. the state department says ays a. official was able to see u.s. official was able to see her this week for the first time since she was detained in february. she's in good condition, and the state department says it will be closely monitoring her case. norah. >> o'donnell: ed o'keefe, thank you. and back here in the u.s., there is now a state of emergency in effect tonight for new orleans and the surrounding areas, devastated by a series of tornadoes late last night, including one with winds topping at least 136 miles per hour. the storm system is now threatening more than 22 million people, from the southeast to the ohio river valley. cbs' david begnaud is in hard-hit arabi. >> reporter: it was only after dawn that the true impact could be seen. block after block in the city of arabi, obliterated. homes ripped off their foundations. to see it now is horrifying enough-- to experience it?

sheer terror. >> i honestly didn't think i was going to live through this one. the sensation... the wind, the sound. i thought we were going to die. we barely made it into the room. five, ten more seconds, we would have been in the hallway. which is... nothing. >> reporter: this is how alyssa wineski's home used to look. here's what remains. she survived on the floor of her bathroom, as her husband threw himself on top of her and their one-year-old child. once they made it through... >> we're a tight-knit community, we're a tight-knit street. we're screaming for each other, and then when we look over and see connor's house, all we could do is scream for him. >> reporter: connor lambert. he used to play football at the local high school. he was her next-door neighbor. and then we see his car wrapped around the tree. >> yes. >> reporter: and then you find out he was the one who died. >> yes. >> reporter: lambert was 25. this afternoon, louisiana's governor came by this street to survey the damage and to offer comfort.

what's further shocking is the scope of the damage, which we found as we met gabriela rivarde outside of what's left of her home. and your house got shoved into the neighbor's house? >> yes. and the neighbor's house, i believe, it shoved into the other neighbor's house. >> reporter: connor lambert, the man who died, lived right there. that's all that's left. the tornado lifted his home off of those stilts and literally tossed it over the yellow house and around it to where it landed on another home. connor and his dog died. and this is his truck, wrapped around that tree in his front yard. norah. >> o'donnell: oh, my gosh. sending prayers to all those people and their families. david begnaud, thank you. let's turn now to the historic confirmation hearings for the first black woman nominated to the supreme court. today was filled with republicans attacking her record, and democrats defending her character. here is cbs news chief legal correspondent jan crawford. >> that, to me, is exhibit "a"

of activism. >> reporter: on the second day of questioning, some republicans turned up the heat, continuing to press judge ketanji brown jackson on whether she was too lenient in sentencing child pornography defendants. >> any of these defendants-- >> wait, wait, judge. you think it is a bigger deterrent to take somebody who is on a computer looking at sexual images of children in the most disgusting way, is to supervise their computer habits versus putting them in jail? >> no, senator, i didn't say versus-- >> that's exactly what you said! >> reporter: and divisions among senators spilled over. >> no one case can stand in for a judge's entire record. >> okay, but i'm discussing every one of the cases. >> and i-- i understand that. >> senator, would you please let her respond. >> no, not if she's not going to answer my questions. >> reporter: there were multiple clashes on the committee. >> your nomination turned out to be a testing ground for conspiracy theories and culture conspiracy theors and culture war theories. >> reporter: both sides dug in. >> every time somebody on this side of the aisle asks questions

of the judge, you come back and you denigrate and you attack and you criticize the line of questioning. >> reporter: but that was part of the democrats' strategy, while using their questions to help jackson make her case with the american people. >> what i really want to ascertain is what kind of a judge you will be. >> i would hope to be the kind of judge that i have been during this last decade. i think i've been the kind of judge who lives up to the oath, in terms of being fair and impartial, ruling without fear or favor. >> reporter: and as senator corey booker discussed the historic nature of her nomination, jackson was moved to tears. >> you have earned this spot. you are worthy. you are a great american. >> o'donnell: wow. jan joins us now from the hearing room. quite emotional today. i understand also judge jackson made some news today about a high-profile case that's coming before the supreme court? >> reporter: she did.

she said that if she's confirmed, she is not going to participate in that major affirmative actica challenging the use of race in admissions at harvard university. that's because she serves on harvard's board. but with that solid conservative majority on the supreme court, her vote may not have affected the outcome of that case. norah. >> o'donnell: all right, jan crawford, thank you. tributes are pouring in tonight for a titan of 20th century diplomacy. madeleine albright, the first woman to serve as u.s. secretary of state, has died of cancer at the age of 84. she served under president bill clinton, and in a statement, the former president and hilary clinton said of albright tonight, few leaders have been so perfectly suited for the times in which they served. cbs' major garrett has more. >> reporter: when madeleine albright made history as the first female secretary of state in 1997, she also became the highest ranking woman ever in american government. albright rose from u.s.

ambassador to the united nations where she famously backed nato bombing to halt war crimes against bosnian muslims. and she had a reputation for tough talk, like this after cuba shot down two u.s. civilian planes flown by exiles. >> this is not cajones. this is cowardice. >> reporter: albright was born in czechoslovakia, 1937. her family was forced to flee the nazis, coming to america as refugees in 1948. as secretary of state, albright clashed with saddam hussein in iraq, and became the highest ranking u.s. official to meet north korea's kim jong-il. albright mixed it up well with men, but looked out for women. >> the most famous thing i ever said was that there's a special place in hell for women who don't help each other. >> reporter: albright became known the world over for her broaches, which she called "pins," worn to convey her mood. >> when people would say, "what are you doing today?" i would say, "read my pins." >> reporter: one of albright's last public appearances was

delivering a eulogy at colin powell's funeral. >> i am often asked, am i an optimist or a pessimist? i reply, that i'm a optimist who worries a lot. >> reporter: madeleine albright was 84. major garrett, cbs news, washington. >> o'donnell: she was fearless, saying once, "it took me quite a long time to develop a voice, and now that i have it, i'm not going to be silenced." let's turn now to america's schools. schools. today, sacramento's teachers went on strike in protest over low pay and more work, due to a teacher shortage. labor department data shows there are more than 300,000 fewer teachers, compared to before the pandemic. so, in tonight's "eye on america," cbs' meg oliver looks at what one tennessee school district is doing to address the problem. >> all right, here we go. >> reporter: at kenwood middle school, an hour north of nashville, tennessee...

>> the primary wave and the secondary wave. >> reporter: ...demetrius winn tries to explain seismic waves to this eighth grade class. >> all right, so we know it's 8:30 because this is our 8:30 block. >> reporter: two years ago, the 42-year-old father of four was spending his days mopping floors as a school custodian. >> this is definitely a change. >> reporter: do you feel this is a calling? >> oh, definitely, definitely it's a calling. like i said, it was something i wanted to do, just didn't know how it was going to happen. >> reporter: facing a growing teacher shortage, the clarksville-montgomery county school district launched an innovative teacher residency program in 2018, recently registered as the first of its kind in the country. sean impeartrice is the district's chief academic officer. if you didn't have this program in place right now, how bad would the teacher shortage be? >> we would have had about 150 teachers short. >> reporter: the program squeezes a four-year degree into three. night school is free, and they co-teach during the day with a mentor, earning up to $27,000 a year. when they graduate, their salary almost doubles.

how will that change your life? >> oh, it will open up a lot of opportunities for me. here we go... >> reporter: the program is funded through the district's regular budget, state, and federal grants. is this a model the rest of the country could follow to solve the teacher shortage? >> now that it's registered, absolutely. >> reporter: would give mr. winn an "a"? nice. could anyone tell me-- you feel good, right? >> they're generous. ( laughter ) >> reporter: winn will graduate with a bachelor's in education and a minor in special education in 2023. how does the future look? >> the future is bright. i know that once i become a full-time teacher, that, like, the opportunities are endless. the primary wave first hits... >> reporter: endless opportunities helping fulfill educational dreams. for "eye on america," meg oliver, cbs news, clarksville, tennessee. >> o'donnell: yes, let's support our teachers. all right, still ahead on tonight's "cbs evening news," big news for parents in the fight against covid-- what moderna is saying about

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>> reporter: moderna's vaccine for children under six is a quarter of the dosage given to adults. the company plans to ask for emergency use authorization in the coming weeks, after trials showed promising results. >> the vaccine provides the same level of protection against covid in young kids as it does in adults. >> reporter: last month, pfizer paused its application for f.d.a. authorization while it awaits more data. across the country, cases from a more-contagious but less-severe sub-variant continue to rise. ba.2 makes up about 35% of new covid cases in the u.s., up from 22% the week before. >> this small increase in cases in the northeast is something that we are closely watching. >> reporter: despite the variant threat, the nation's two largest public school districts are lifting mask mandates. los angeles dropped its requirement for students in grades k-12, though they will still be required in preschool. in new york city, they will drop its mask mandate for children under five if cases remain low. that's welcome news for some

parents. >> my four-year-old has had some speech issues, and he needs to see facial expressions, he needs to see lips move. like, that's going to be helpful for him. >> reporter: nationwide, only 27% of children aged five to 11 are fully vaccinated. this week, new york city will begin rolling out vaccine clinics in public schools in an effort to get those numbers up. norah. >> o'donnell: all right. nancy chen, thank you. well, coming up next, a ukrainian cellist finds a purpose, amid the ruins of war. ♪ ♪ ♪ and longer. zzzquil pure zzzs all night. fall asleep. stay asleep. before treating your chronic migraine, 15 or more headache days a month each lasting 4 hours or more, you're not the only one with questions about botox®. botox® prevents headaches in adults with chronic migraine before they even start, with about 10 minutes of treatment

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>> o'donnell: tomorrow, we will bring you a special report when president biden speaks after the historic nato summit, and have a full wrap-up on the "cbs evening news." that is tonight's "cbs evening

news." i'm norah o'donnell.